Crafting the Literature Review

Adapted from Natilene Bowker, Student Learning Centre, Massey University,

Palmerston North ©2006 http://owll.massey.ac.nz/pdf/crafting-the-literature-
review.pdf
 WHAT IS A LITERATURE REVIEW?
A discussion of your research area arranged by
key findings that lead up to your research
question (Bowker, 2006).
 What is a Literature Review
Three key qualities:
• Informative: the review should contain a
neutral description of your sources
• Evaluative: the review should include critical
statements analyzing the described sources
• Integrative: the review should be able to
compare and contrast the findings of each
study, relate them together and argue your
point
 Purpose of Literature Review
• Helps map and define your research topic
o highlights scope & boundaries
o shows where your research question fits into the broad picture, i.e.,
CONTEXTUALIZES your topic into current literature
o shares with reader other studies similar to yours
o provides evidence that your topic is building onto an established body of
knowledge
• Presents a balanced view
• Justifies your research question
o provides a framework for establishing the importance of your study
o argues that not enough is yet known about the topic.
• Provides literature for you to compare your findings
with at the end.
Difference Between Review and Essay
Smyth (2004, pp. 113-114) defines a literature review:
• A literature review differs from an essay in that it is
written to address some specific research problem or
question. It does not present a thesis or discuss an
issue.
• A literature review should reach some conclusion on
the current state of knowledge in an area, and suggest
the next step in the investigation of the problem or
question of interest.
• A literature review will be largely based on research
findings.
PROCESS: Working with Literature
 Step 1: Find it
Use library databases and resources to find print and electronic
sources about your research topic.
 Step 2: Manage it
• Organize your sources: After reading a handful of
research papers, consider keywords that may be used
to categorize the sources, for example:
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Social factors
• Biological factors
Use these as headings to group your sources, and your
discussion of them.
• Keep track of citations: As you read your sources, you
must keep track of citations and quotations.
• Keep track of your reactions and thoughts: organize
your notes on each source, how you will use it
 Step 3: Critique it
ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, KEEP NOTES ON THE
FOLLOWING:
• Is the author knowledgeable in the area? Is the source
current?
• Are the author’s sources balanced or biased?
• Are the findings inconsistent with other sources? Explain.
• Are there any generalizations? Discuss
• Does the author ignore others’ views?
• Does the author ignore alternative explanations for his
findings?
• What are the strengths of the source?
• How does this source contribute to the literature?
 Step 4: Write it
LITERATURE REVIEW GENERAL OUTLINE:
• Abstract: A brief summary of the report
• Introduction: What issue is being investigated and why this
is relevant/important (statement of the problem and aim
and significance of the investigation)
• Literature Review: For each category of sources or theme,
what was found and what do the findings mean
(description, evaluation and integration of literature
material).
• Conclusion: Summarizes what has been said, why it is
important and what its implications are. This section must
refer back to the Introduction.
• References: A list of the works cited
 Paragraph Level Outline
I. Introduction
• Describe the overall topic that you have been investigating, why it is important to
the field, and why you are interested in the topic.
• Identify themes and trends in research questions, methodology, and findings. Give a
“big picture” of the literature.
II. Theme A
• Overview of characteristics of the theme (commonalities, differences, connections)

• Theme B – follow pattern above

• Keep repeating with themes
• Conclusion: An evaluation/critique of the existing literature. Write several paragraphs.
• What are the contributions of this literature to the field?
• What are the overall strengths?
• What are the overall weaknesses?
• What might be missing?
• What are some next steps for research? The next steps should explicitly address how
to “correct” for strengths, weaknesses, and gaps.
 Example of Outline
• Research Question: Is diversity on campus creating segregation?
“With the current movement on all university campuses to embrace diversity and encourage free thinking and
expression, the academy is a place where cultures converge and valuable lessons in cross-cultural
interactions are learned. However, with these benefits comes a price, that students are identifying with
members of their common group, and choosing to interact and associate mostly with them. College
administrators would benefit from investigating this phenomenon, as it places at stake the ideals of
diversity that are key to each institution’s mission.”

4. Benefits of Diversity:
• Studies supporting this
• Evaluation and discussion of studies, and how they relate.
• So what does this mean about the benefits of diversity?

2. Sub-groups on campus
• Sources investigating this
• Evaluation and discussion of studies, and how they relate.
• So what does this mean about sub-groups on campus?
3. What Institutions can do to unite student body:
• Sources investigating this
• Evaluation and discussion of studies and how they relate
• So what does this mean about uniting the student body?

4. What students can do to reduce segregation

• Sources investigating this
• Evaluation and discussion of studies and how they relate
• So what does this mean about reducing segregation?

5. Conclusion: Brings all discussion together, raises more questions

about the research question, points to directions for further
research and reiterates importance of this research
 Building Your Review
For each category:
• Identify areas of consensus:
“Hence, it seems that there is agreement among researchers of the 80s regarding Thomson’s
theory.”
• Identify areas of divergence:
“Much debate exists on the issue of…” Try to explain why.

• Explain the logic of your sources, rather than just stating what they say:
“A study by Smith (1998) showed that gender differences exist online. How? Why? Smith
(1998) investigated the existence of gender differences in chat room participation. By
measuring the proportion of responses made by male and female participants, taking into
account the amount of time spent accessing the chat room, findings showed that males were
more likely than females to post messages (67% and 33% respectively). This evidence
supports the view…”

• Consider the need for summary paragraphs dispersed throughout the review.
“In summary, the evidence laid out demonstrates that operating online does not challenge
the online medium’s ability to…. Rather, this literature supports a continuation of….
Consequently, people with disabilities may experience social stigma online…. However,
alternative ideas and findings suggest….”
 Tips for Writing ILRs:
Tip 1: Identify the problem but avoid global
statements

COMPARE
• Nursing education is important to both the health care system in the
United States and to health world-wide. Without a high quality education
nurses will be unprepared for the next millennium
AND
• The infusion of critical thinking skills in nursing education has been a
worldwide quest of nurse educators to ensure quality improvement and
quality assurance in practice. There is a great need for facilitation of
critical thinking in the preparation and assessment of nurse learners to
care for patients with complex culturally diverse health care needs and
their families.1

Excerpt from MM Chibeli, Facilitating critical thinking within the nursing process framework: a literature review, Health SA Gesondheid, Volume 12, Issue 4,
1

December 2007, pgs. 69-89

Tip 2: Indicate why particular
studies are important
• Jones’ study (2000) represented a critical
turning point in the development of research
in this field.

OR
• Jones’ study (2000) was the only to bring out
the differences between superficial learning
and internalization of learning.
Adapted from: LD U:\Library\Literature Review\Writing a Literature Review.pptx
Tip 3: Be specific when discussing time frames
• Avoid using phrases like “in recent years’ or
“in the past”
Tip 4:When there are gaps, justify them
• There will be gaps in the research. Don’t just
say, “NO studies were found on healthcare in
Egypt” instead, describe where you searched,
what databases you used and what other
search strategies you used so reader can be
convinced
 Tip 5: Use Specific Details
Use details to persuade your reader that this study is
valid in showing your conclusions. Details to include:
• How the source came up with its findings (methods,
participants in study, etc.)
• Explain the reasoning of the author and whether you
agree with it
• How the findings relate to your research question

Summarizing:
“Based on the findings of Brown (1989) and Jones (1997), Smith
(1998) hypothesized that gender differences are prevalent
online.”
 Tip 6: Avoid Repetition
• Refer to authors in different ways: their
‘name’, ‘pronouns’, ‘investigators’,
‘researchers’…
“Brown (1999) conducted a study on gender differences. She
demonstrated how…. Brown concluded that…/It was concluded that…
Similarly, another researcher looked at…”

• Similarly, instead of relying on the word

‘research’, also use ‘investigation’, ‘study’,
‘project’, ‘work’…
Tip 7: Avoid restating source ideas without
adequate critique
• This is your paper. The focus should be on your
analysis of the sources, not on the summary of the
sources. Many students simply restate without
proper analysis.
Tip 8: DO NOT discuss one source at a time
• Integrate sources; each paragraph should focus on a
theme or issue, not a source. Discussion of similar
sources should be integrated.
 References
• Natilene Bowker, Student Learning Centre,
Massey University, Palmerston North ©2006
• LD U:\Library\Literature Review\Writing a
Literature Review.pptx
• O'Leary, Z. (2004) The Essential Guide to
Doing Research. London: Sage Chapter Six
• www.writingalitreview.pbwiki.com